To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Baryshnikov Arts, Mikhail Baryshnikov has invited Aszure Barton and Benjamin Millepied back to Baryshnikov Arts Center. Barton and Millepied were not only the first choreographers to create in the organization’s studios, but also to collaborate with Baryshnikov himself at BA. This project will mark 20 years since the creation of the Center, which supports and nourishes creatives and creation here in New York City. Together, Barton and Millepied will present an evening of dance as an offering of thanks to Mikhail Baryshnikov for his longtime support.
Dancers for Aszure Barton:
Jonathan Alsberry, Nora Brown, Taylor LaBruzzo, Angelina Ramirez, Abdiel Figueroa Reyes
Dancers for Benjamin Millepied:
Courtney Conovan, Daphne Fernberger, Zack Gonder, Tom Guilbaud, Robert Hoffer, Daisy Jacobson, Shu Kinouchi, Clay Koonar, Audrey Sides, Hope Spears
All details subject to change.
October 27 at 6 PM: Annual Fall Fête benefit performance and dinner honoring former Baryshnikov Dance Foundation and Baryshnikov Productions Managing Director Christina Sterner. For more information, please email gala@baryshnikovarts.org.
Aszure Barton has been making dances for as long as she can remember. Born in Canada, she is a prolific creator whose work the US National Endowment for the Arts describes as “watching the physical unfurling of the human psyche.” Her dances have found their way to stages worldwide—from the Palais Garnier and Mariinsky Theater to The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center—and into museums like the Smithsonian. Early on, she founded Aszure Barton & Artists | AB&A out of rebellion and a desire to bring people together. A platform for autonomous, interdisciplinary exploration, this creative hub operates beyond conventional choreographer-company structures, becoming what the Canadian-American artist calls “a mobile home for trusted humans” that acts as both a watering hole and ever-stretching thread for her most trusted collaborators.
This collaborative spirit has led her to work with celebrated artists including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Misty Copeland, and Cyndi Lauper, and with companies like American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Martha Graham Dance Company, Hamburg Ballett, Nederlands Dans Theater, San Francisco Ballet, and Teatro alla Scala. Her latest endeavour is a collaboration with acclaimed trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire; their work A a | a B : B E N D premiered at Germany’s Kampnagel and is touring globally with Pomegranate Arts.
Barton is the first Martha Duffy Resident Artist at Baryshnikov Arts, and some of her other accolades include a Bessie Award, Canada’s Arts & Letters Award, and her role as official ambassador of contemporary choreography in Canada.
Benjamin Millepied is a renowned choreographer, director, and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Born in Bordeaux, France, and raised in Senegal, he trained at the Conservatoire de Lyon and the School of American Ballet. Millepied joined NYCB in 1995 and became a principal dancer in 2001, performing major roles in the works of Balanchine, Robbins, and many others, while also beginning a prolific choreographic career. He has since created works for leading companies worldwide, including the Paris Opera Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Dutch National Ballet, often in collaboration with visual artists and composers like Nico Muhly, Daniel Buren, and Barbara Kruger.
In 2012, he co-founded L.A. Dance Project, a company known for innovative performances and artistic residencies, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels. As Director of the Paris Opera Ballet (2013–2016), Millepied launched a digital platform, a dance medicine program, and commissioned numerous new works by contemporary choreographers. He also brought Batsheva Dance Company to the Opera stage for the first time.
He choreographed and starred in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, and in 2023 made his feature directorial debut with Carmen (Sony Pictures Classics), earning a Chita Rivera nomination for Best Choreography.
In 2022, he launched Paris Dance Project, promoting dance education and public performance, including La Ville Dansée, a citywide event with support from Chanel and Richard Mille. Millepied was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 2024.
